Recently, I’ve been staying home with nothing much to do and suddenly craved Spanish paella, but I was too lazy to go to a restaurant for Spanish paella. I remembered I had a rice cooker at home, so I tried making it myself, and the results were surprisingly amazing! I’m sharing this super simple method with everyone.
Ingredient Shopping List
Making seafood paella with a rice cooker is actually much simpler than imagined. First, prepare the ingredients: 300g rice, 200g chicken thigh meat cut into pieces, 150g shrimp, 8-10 mussels, half an onion diced, 1 tomato peeled and diced, half a red bell pepper cut into strips, and 50g peas. For seasonings, you’ll need 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, a pinch of saffron, 500ml chicken broth, salt and black pepper to taste.
The beauty of using a rice cooker is that you don’t need to constantly watch over the stove. First, brush a layer of olive oil in the rice cooker’s inner pot and press the cook button to preheat. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until lightly golden, then add the diced onion and minced garlic to release their aroma. Next, pour in the diced tomatoes, stir-fry until juicy, then add the rice and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes to coat the grains with oil.
Here comes the crucial step for Oven Paella: Soak the saffron in a small amount of warm water, then pour it along with the chicken broth into the rice cooker. Saffron is the soul of paella and absolutely cannot be omitted. Add salt and black pepper to taste, arrange the seafood and red bell pepper strips on top of the rice, being careful not to stir. Cover with the lid, press the cook button and wait.
Perfect Finishing Techniques
After the rice cooker switches to keep-warm mode, don’t rush to open the lid - let it steam for another 15 minutes. This time allows the rice grains to fully absorb the broth and the seafood to cook perfectly. Finally, sprinkle with peas and lemon juice for flavor enhancement, gently mix with a spoon and you’re done!
The finished paella has a golden color, plump rice grains, and fresh seafood. I used to think this dish was very sophisticated, but it turns out you can make it so authentically with a rice cooker. Everyone at home said it tastes even better than restaurant versions!
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|
| Rice | 300g | Short-grain rice preferred |
| Chicken thigh | 200g | Boneless, cut into pieces |
| Shrimp | 150g | Fresh or frozen both work |
| Mussels | 8-10 pieces | Clean thoroughly beforehand |
| Saffron | A pinch | Essential seasoning |
